Hailey's Truth (13 page)

Jeremy and Mateo’s every move was being watched, and more than likely Hailey’s too. They were 30,000 feet in the air and surrounded by the Mexican Mafia. The whole point of this vacation was to
remove
her from the situation. It would only be worse when they landed.

Austin squeezed his fingers against the base of his neck, rolled his shoulders, attempting to relieve the sharp clenching ache.
Damn.
This was a nightmare and there was no way out.

This entire mess couldn’t be fixed by putting Hailey on the next plane home. If the mafia wanted to find her, there would be nowhere she could run. The Zulas’ connections ran far, wide, and deep.

Austin pressed at his temple, struggling to think over the pounding. All he could do now was wait. He needed to talk to Hunter and Ethan.

He stepped from the bathroom, staring at the back of Jeremy’s head, struggling with blood scorching rage. Jeremy had sentenced himself to a life of danger and death, and in his greed, he’d brought his sister along too.

A grin split Hailey’s face as she stared at her accommodations for the week. “Holy crap! This is
amazing
.” Her cabana suite was cozy, elegant, and fifty yards from crystal blue water. She rolled her bulging suitcase further into the room and let out a hoot of delight. Her bed, cloaked in pale green and yellow bedding, was big enough for four. The small whicker sitting area sat across from huge panels of glass, giving her a view of vibrant pink flowers, bright green palms, sandy white beaches, and the bold, blue ocean. It took her breath away. “I can’t believe this.”

Hailey abandoned her luggage, sighing as she stood in her bathroom doorway. The room was stark white but decorated beautifully. Massive conch shells and coral pieces accented beach wood and lush tropical plants. Tan candles sat in threes along the lake-sized tub. She pressed a button by the light switch and gasped as a curtain silently moved up, exposing a view of ocean waves as far as the eye could see. “Oh, I am
so
taking a bath in here while the sun sets…tomorrow night.” Hailey had plans to meet Jeremy for an overdue birthday dinner in three hours. She was going to make the most of her time.

Sliding her sunglasses in place, Hailey grabbed her small digital camera and locked the door behind her. The warm sea breeze caressed her cheeks as she breathed deeply, unable to believe she was truly here in this tropical paradise.

Gasping, she stared at a yacht miles out. She’d never seen a boat so big; it was practically a small-scale cruise ship. Zooming in as far as her camera lens would allow, she pressed the shutter button several times, watching the towering white vessel grow small before she continued down the beach.

“Hailey.”

She paused, startled by Austin calling her name from the cabana next to hers. “Oh
great
.” She wasn’t ready to deal with him, especially when he was shirtless. Hailey turned and kept walking, picking up her pace. If she was being rude, she didn’t care. Austin had embarrassed and confused her; now she was pissed off. Was she being unreasonable? Maybe. Did she feel justified? Absolutely.

Over the past three days, she’d done little but replay their evening in the kitchen. She couldn’t forget the way Austin had stared into her eyes as he played with her hair, his lips a whisper from hers. Flutters churned in her stomach, her heartbeat quickening as she remembered the moment now. It still annoyed her.

Austin said “friends,” but she had
seen
something else in those few seconds by the kitchen counter. She had never thought Austin the type to play games, but maybe she was wrong. She wasn’t about to stick around and find out.

“Hailey, wait up,” Austin said, as he hurried into step beside her.

“This isn’t a good time.” She quickened her pace further, but his long legs were no match for her shorter strides. She huffed out a breath, came to a stop , trying to ignore the light sheen of sweat over his amazing, tanned muscles. “I said this isn’t a good time.”

“Yeah, I heard you. I’ve been wanting to talk to you.”

“Well, I’m busy.” She turned to leave, but Austin stopped her with a hand on her arm.

“How about later? I changed rooms. I’m your neighbor. You could knock on my door when you have a free minute.”

Not on your life.
“Okay, yeah, sure, fine.”

“’Okay, yeah, sure, fine,’” he repeated, wincing, as a pained look settled on his face. “All ‘red flag’ words of a pissed off woman.”

Her lips twitched. Why did he have to be so damn cute?

“Wait.” Austin held up a hand and took a step back “Is that a smile? Are you going to smile?”

“No, I’m not.” She would make the inside of her cheek bleed before she gave him the grin that so desperately wanted to escape. She refused to be affected by his charm.

“Will you have dinner with me?”

If she could count the number of times she’d wished he’d ask this very question… But he wasn’t interested in her romantically. He confused her too much right now, but she still wanted him despite everything that had happened. Staying away from Austin for the next several days was the best thing she could do for herself. “I can’t; I’m having dinner with Jeremy.”

“How about lunch tomorrow?”

“I’m sightseeing with Jeremy and Mateo.”

He clenched his jaw before he relaxed it. “How about dinner after?”

She remembered her plans for her candlelight bath. Dinner with Austin sounded even better, but a bath was safer. “Austin, I really think…“she stopped, smiling suddenly as Mateo approached. She was happy to have a distraction. “Mateo, how’s your suite?”

“Freaking awesome.”

She chuckled. “I thought the same thing. Mateo, this is Austin Casey. Austin, Mateo Flores.”

Mateo stuck out his hand. “Nice to meet you, Austin. Have I seen you before?”

Austin shook Mateo’s hand. “Yeah, coming out of Hailey’s apartment.”

Hailey stared at Austin, shocked by his unfriendly tone. In the last week, she’d seen a side of him she didn’t know existed. The rigid set of his body and the hard light in his eyes were new, and she didn’t like them. “Mateo, I’m heading up to the main hotel to look around, maybe get a snack,” she improvised. “Do you want to join me?”

“Sure.”

“See you around, Austin.” She turned her back, dismissing Austin and his ugly attitude.

“Hailey, wait.” Austin snagged her arm.

She pulled free of his hold, wanting nothing to do with him at the moment. “I said I’ll see you around.”

As Mateo took a step forward, Hailey placed a hand on his chest. “Mateo, can you give us a second? I’ll catch up.”

“Yeah, sure.” Mateo gave Austin a warning stare before he wandered down the beach.

Hailey waited until Mateo was out of earshot before she rounded on Austin. “What is
wrong
with you?”

“Nothing. I just think you should be careful.” He gestured toward the path, his implication clear.

Hailey’s eyes widened as irritation turned to a quick, burning anger. Austin didn’t know anything about Mateo. He was judging on nothing more than appearances. “What should I be careful of, exactly?”

“Of who you’re hanging around with,” Austin’s voice grew edgy.

She remembered not too long ago Austin’s accusations of Jeremy’s gang affiliation. Was this what he’d been talking about? Austin saw Mateo come out of her apartment and jumped to the conclusion Jeremy was a dealer and gangster?

Hailey glared and crossed her arms. “And what’s wrong with Mateo? His tattoos? Maybe if you took the time to get to know him instead of making rash judgments, you would realize the ink on his arms is part of a past he’s trying to leave behind. You’re something else.”

Hailey spun away, turned back, unable to let this go. “Mateo is a friend of Jeremy’s, so that makes him a friend of mine. You, on the other hand, have made your feelings toward my brother more than clear.”

She gave Austin a shove, just because she could. Not that he moved, but it felt good to place her anger somewhere. “I know we can’t all be as perfect as you, Austin Casey, but if your snobbery is considered perfection, then I don’t want to be.”

Hailey stormed off, hurrying down the beach to catch up with Mateo. If she saw Austin before the week was over, it would be too soon.

Chapter 10

A
USTIN LAY ON HIS BED, staring at the ceiling fan, fuming. He’d handled things on the beach worse than he had the night in the kitchen. Lately, every time he was around Hailey, she jumbled his brain until he couldn’t think.

It might as well have been amateur hour while he stood in the sand, losing his cool. His open hostility toward Mateo had been completely foolish and broke every rule in the subtle art of reconnaissance.

He couldn’t gather information if he alienated Mateo and Jeremy before vacation even began. And he wouldn’t bring Hailey around to who her brother really was if he made her angry every time he saw her.

Hailey was a champion of the underdog. If he continued to express his dislike for her brother and Mateo, he would never be able to keep her close. Mateo was the real deal—a first-class con on top of everything else.

But Mateo didn’t know Hailey the way Austin did. That’s where he had the upper hand. He had three years of interaction, of friendship. He had visits to the zoo, arcade battles, movies with popcorn and debates at the end, holidays, long weekends away—with Ethan, Sarah, Morgan, and Hunter.

If Austin wanted that to continue, he had to stop alienating her. His inability to control his shaky emotions was going to get Hailey killed.

Austin sat up, sighed, and glancing at the clock—seven thirty. He needed to eat. He hadn’t had anything decent since his early morning breakfast. The clerk at check-in said the beachfront dining room had a five-star rating. If he was going to eat, he planned to eat well.

Austin pulled a pair of khaki slacks from the small closet along with a dark green polo. Dressed and ready, he locked up and strolled down the beach. Minutes later, he climbed the steps to the restaurant, his stomach growling as he breathed in the scent of well-prepared seafood. He walked in the upscale dining room, stopping at the bar.

“Good evening, sir.” The bartender placed a cocktail napkin in front of him. “What can I get you to drink?”

“What do you have on tap?”

“Pretty much anything you want, including our house brews.”

Austin was always willing to try something new. “Give me your most popular homebrew.”

“Right away, sir.” The man was true to his word. He slid a pale ale in front of him within seconds.

“Thanks.” Austin glanced around at well-presented entrees. A vivid blue sundress on the outside deck caught his attention. Hailey’s light brown hair billowed in the gentle breeze as she sat at a table—alone—stirring a straw in her beverage instead of eating the salad before her.

A waiter stopped at her table and she glanced at her watch, shaking her head. The man pulled the menu from the empty setting and walked off.

Austin wanted to feel smug; her asshole brother had shown his true colors once again. But as he stared at Hailey, alone and beautiful at a table set for two, he couldn’t feel anything but sadness. Austin slid a five on the bar, then wandered out to the deck, stopping behind the vacant chair.

Hailey glanced up.

“Hey,” he said, looking at her. She took his breath away. Hailey had pulled her hair back in a barrette, leaving her face unframed, the way he liked best. She’d curled the ends; loose spirals fell to her naked, slender shoulders.

“Hey.” She looked at her Sprite, starting to stir it again.

She wasn’t going to give an inch, even though her eyes were sad. He hated seeing her upset because it was so rare—except lately. “Can I sit down?”

Hailey shrugged. “I guess.”

He took the empty chair and the waiter came over.

“Señor, let me get you a menu.”

Austin looked at Hailey, waiting for her to object. When she stayed silent, staring back, he gave the waiter a nod. So, they would have dinner after all.

Within moments, the waiter handed him a menu. “Thanks.” Austin set it down without looking at the offerings. “Nice night.”

“Mmm.” Hailey stopped stirring her soda and rested her hands on the table.

Austin took a chance and snagged her fingers, holding them firm as they stiffened against his palm. “Hailey, do you want me to leave?”

“Kind of.”

No, she definitely wasn’t going to give an inch. “Tell you what. If you still look like you want to strangle me by the time you finish your salad I’ll leave.”

“Fine.”

“I’m sorry—” He tightened his grip when she tried to pull free. “It’ll be easier to apologize if you actually look at me.”

Her gaze lifted from the table, meeting his.

“I’m sorry about this afternoon. I was rude to both you and Mateo. I’ll apologize to Mateo when I see him.” He would choke on it, but if two simple words helped keep her safe, he would get over it.

Hailey’s fingers relaxed in his hand. “I appreciate it.”

“Then it’s done.”

The waiter wandered back. “What can I bring you this evening, Senor?”

“I’ll have what the lady’s having.”

“Very good.” The waiter plucked up the menu and left.

“I ordered calf brains, you know.”

He grinned at the teasing light warming her eyes. Now they were getting somewhere. “Then you’ll have leftovers to bring back to your room.”

She smiled.

“What are we really having?”

“Grilled salmon topped with a lobster, mango salsa, herbed brown rice, and sautéed vegetables.”

“That’s more like it. Do you want a glass of wine?”

“No, thanks. Alcohol makes my head fuzzy.” She wrinkled her nose. “I know, not very sophisticated.”

“Sophisticated is boring. I like you just the way you are.”

Hailey’s smile disappeared, and she pulled her fingers free.

“Should we clear up the night at Ethan’s while we’re at it?”

“No.”

He wanted to, but she clearly didn’t. “Will you share your salad?”

She pushed her plate to the center of the table.

Austin stabbed a bite of lettuce and a cherry tomato, intending to keep their conversation light. “Do you like your room?”